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Lamp Black

Reap the benefits of high quality oil paints while enjoying the freedom to draw directly on your surface, without the distancing factor of the brush. Handmade and richly pigmented, R&F Pigment Sticks are comparable to the finest tube oil paints.

This color contains the following pigments:

PBk6—Lamp Black

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

carbon

Chemical Formula

C

Properties

Lamp black is a very opaque, heavily staining black pigment that does not have much covering power. It is typically the most opaque black in watercolor form. Though a very pure black, it tends to muddy slightly in mixtures, is one of the slowest drying pigments in oils, and should not be used under other colors.

Permanence

Lamp Black is very lightfast and absolutely permanent. It is used in all techniques in permanent painting.

Toxicity

Lamp Black is slightly toxic by skin contact and inhalation. It is a possible human carcinogen.

History

Lamp Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for frescoing until the development of Mars Black.